Milan wins as Ancelotti leaves

byDavidonMay 31, 2009

AC Milan clinched the last automatic Champions League spot with a 2-0 win at Fiorentina in Carlo Ancelotti’s final game in charge.

Kaka broke the deadlock 10 minutes into the second half and substitute Alexandre Pato sealed the victory in the 75th minute to condemn Fiorentina to the qualifying stages of the Champions League. Ancelotti announced his contract had been terminated by mutual agreement shortly after the game ended.

Juventus beat Milan into second place, courtesy of a better head-to-head record, after they defeated Lazio 2-0 thanks to a Vincenzo Iaquinta double. Ciro Ferrara’s second win in as many games will boost his chances of landing the job on a permanent basis.

At the other end of the table Bologna secured Serie A football for another season with a 3-1 victory over Catania. Nicola Mingazzini gave the hosts the perfect start in the fifth minute and Claudio Terzi doubled their lead before Takayuki Morimoto pulled one back for Catania five minutes into the second half. But top goalscorer Marco Di Vaio eased their nerves by restoring their two-goal advantage in the 68th minute.

It meant that Torino’s match at Roma would count for little and they limped out of Serie A with a 3-2 defeat. Tommaso Vailatti gave them the lead in the ninth minute but Jeremy Menez and Mirko Vucinic put Roma in front. Ivan Franceschini was sent off and conceded a penalty in the 83rd minute, which Francesco Totti duly converted, before Nicola Ventola grabbed Torino’s last goal in the top flight.

Reggina ensured they did not end the season rock-bottom with a credible 1-1 draw against 10-man Siena. Christian Stuani converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time to give Reggina the lead and it looked like they were on course for victory when Emanuele Calaio was sent off for the visitors in the 65th minute, but Massimo Maccarone equalised 10 minutes later.

Reggina finish a point above Lecce, who slumped to a 4-1 defeat at Genoa, who miss out on the top four and a Champions League spot because of Fiorentina’s better head-to-head record. Diego Milito signed off in style in his last game with a second-half brace. Bosko Jankovic and Domenico Criscito scored Genoa’s other goals either side of Simone Tiribocchi’s equaliser.

Milito’s future team, Inter Milan also rounded off the season with four goals, with the champions beating Atalanta 4-3. The game got off to a great start as Sulley Muntari and Zlatan Ibrahimovic ensured Inter were 2-1 up within 12 minutes, with Cristiano Doni nabbing the equaliser. Luca Cigarini and a second from Doni gave Atalanta the lead but Esteban Cambiasso levelled in the 79th minute and Ibrahimovic scored his 25th of the season two minutes later.

Ibrahimovic ends the season as top goalscorer in Serie A, with one more than Milito and Di Vaio.

Udinese fans also enjoyed a festival of goals as they watched their team trounce Cagliari 6-2. Three goals in five minutes from Kwadwo Asamoah, Simone Pepe and Antonio Floro Flores gave the hosts a convincing lead within the first 15 minutes. Robert Acquafresca’s penalty and Andrea Parola’s 57th-minute goal gave Cagliari hope but Giovanni Pasquale scored a minute later before Fabio Quagliarella and substitute Odion Jude Ighalo capped off a brilliant game for Udinese.

Outgoing Sampdoria coach Walter Mazzarri saw his side fight back from two goals down to snatch a point at Palermo. Fabrizio Miccoli and Davide Succi had given the hosts the lead but Giampaolo Pazzini pulled one back in first-half stoppage-time and Marius Stankevicius scored the equaliser in the 59th minute.